UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) first Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) strategy sets out our ambition for a more diverse and inclusive research and innovation system.
Equality, diversity and inclusion are integral to UKRI’s vision and mission. Including and valuing a broader range of people and talent will help us achieve the extraordinary potential of research and innovation to improve lives, promote economic growth, and support a knowledge economy that benefits everyone.
Developing the strategy
We have developed our EDI strategy collaboratively, building on long-term work from across UKRI and extensive engagement with many people and organisations. The strategy benefits from knowledge, research, data, and expertise drawn from across the research and innovation sector. This includes the feedback and views from the consultation on our draft EDI Strategy. Together with our long-term engagement, the responses to the consultation have helped us refine the strategy and develop our action plans.
The strategy’s four objectives
Our EDI strategy has four objectives that provide a unifying framework for the actions we will take to implement this strategy.
- Foster a world-class research and innovation system, ‘by everyone, for everyone’.
- Include and support a diversity of people and ideas through our funding and partnerships.
- Create a more inclusive and fair organisational culture, where everyone can contribute and participate, and feels valued and respected.
- Advance and grow knowledge and capability to support a thriving research and innovation system by being a creative, evidence-based and evidence-informed organisation.
EDI action plans
A variety of approaches and interventions will be needed to create a more inclusive research and innovation system, where people, creativity, and ideas can flourish. This is why we are using the EDI strategy as a framework for a suite of action plans, to develop and deliver a variety of interventions relevant to different disciplines and sectors.
The action plans are informed by data, insight and engagement with our communities. They are living documents that will continue to evolve in response to new insights and knowledge.
See the individual action plans 2022 to 2025:
- Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) action plan
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) action plan
- Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) action plan
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) action plan
- Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) action plan
- Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) action plan
The UKRI workforce EDI plan 2022 to 2026 sets out how we will build a more inclusive culture at UKRI, to offer opportunity for all, and to develop the diversity of people and thought we need to be a world-class organisation.
Last updated: 15 May 2023